Σάββατο, 22 Δεκεμβρίου 2007

Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997) (pronounced[help] [kamakaʋiwoˈʔole]) was a Hawaiianmusician.
He became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993 with his medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", which was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and commercials.
Kamakawiwoʻole was nicknamed "The Gentle Giant" by his admirers. He was described as always cheerful and positive, and he was best known for his love of the land and of the people of Hawaiʻi. Through his consummate ukulele playing and incorporation of other idioms (such as jazz and reggae), Iz remains one of the major influences in Hawaiian music over the last 15 years.

Facing Future is an album by the late Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, released in 1993.
When this album was released, he became famous with his medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", featured in films Finding Forrester, Meet Joe Black, 50 First Dates and a movie titled Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School, as well as an episode of television's ER, and the final episode of the BBC program Life On Mars. The ukulele intro to this song was also heard in TV commercials for the ill-fated Internet toy vendor eToys in the early 2000s, but without any of the vocals. A version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" based on Kamakawiwo'ole's was performed by The Blanks on the Scrubs episode, "My Way Home". Kamakawiwo'ole's rendition of "Over the Rainbow" features fragments of different verses strung together in the wrong order, but it remains a favorite of many listeners, and has become a cultural phenomenon, as attested by its frequent use in entertainment and advertising